Half the World Away

by Rebecca Banks

  ‘What do you think?’ she asked him nervously.

  ‘I think we’ll go take a look, but it sounds like it could be a real option. Noah wouldn’t have offered it if it wasn’t good, it’s the same price you’re paying now and it’s in a good location. He knows the couple who are leasing it out and basically said if you want it, it’s yours.’

  She felt her shoulders drop about a foot. She had been incredibly tense about the whole situation.

  ‘Thanks, Kyle. I don’t know what to say. You don’t have to come with me to see it, though, I’ve taken enough of your time. If you give me the address, I’ll let you know how it was.’

  ‘Are you kidding? As if I’d let you go alone. You’d probably trip up the stairs and be eaten by wild dogs and be found in a week when the next house hunters visit. That, or agree to pay twice the going rate. I told you, you need a local.’

  She looked at him, her eyes searching his expression to see if this really was okay. For the first time, she saw a flicker of uncertainty cross his face.

  ‘Sorry, Abbie, I just realised I came into this like a steamroller and you might not want me prying and getting over-involved.’ She saw him falter and her heart did an involuntary jump.

  ‘That’s not it at all,’ she said. ‘I just don’t want to put you out, and you’re doing so much for me. I would love if you could visit the house with me tomorrow. Make sure I’m not signing up for a rat-infested deathtrap.’

  He visibly relaxed. ‘You’re on. I’ll bring the tape measure so we can figure out the biggest sofa we can get you for the family room. Now, we have homes to go to, and we have to be back here in twelve hours. Finish your disgusting pizza.’

  She deliberately picked up the slice loaded with the most pineapple and made a point of making satisfied noises as she chewed.

  CHAPTER 13

  Standing on the pavement looking up at the house the next day, Abbie was excited. She tried to temper it, knowing that this wasn’t a done deal. But it was gorgeous.

  The cute cream Craftsman style house was on a tree-lined street, set back from the path with a freshly mown lawn in the front and a few steps leading up to a small porch. The left half of the two-storey house was shaped like a turret and had lilac wisteria creeping up it, and she could see a wooden balcony coming off the upper floor. She was already in love and she hadn’t yet walked through the front door.

  She waited for Kyle to head back over to her with his realtor friend, Noah. He didn’t look like she expected an estate agent to look. In fact, he resembled an American football player. He was absolutely enormous.

  ‘Abbie, meet Noah. He was one of my sports buddies at college. Noah, meet England.’

  ‘Hey, Abbie, it’s really nice to meet you.’ As he shook her hand, she was fairly sure she felt bones crack and thought he was going to wrench it off her wrist as he pulled away.

  ‘Thanks so much for giving us the heads-up on this place,’ she said, genuinely grateful. She was eager to get inside and was happy when Noah headed to the front door, which was black with a gold handle and knocker.

  ‘The landlord has just finished renovating so they’re looking to rent it as fast as possible. It’s got new carpets throughout, and they put in a new kitchen and upstairs bathroom,’ Noah explained as he walked them straight through the hallway and into the large, circular lounge on the left, which was in the turret section of the house.

  The kitchen was at the back of the house and had a hardwood floor, big single-pane sash windows and was fitted with cream country style cabinets, a matching island, a range cooker and a cream SMEG fridge. It was the kitchen of her dreams.

  A utility room with an industrial size washer and dryer and a small guest bathroom off the kitchen completed the ground floor.

  At the end of the utility room was another external door leading to a small rear garden, which was half lawn and half decking. She dreamed of barbecues and cosy nights sitting outside until the sun set. With May on its way, the temperature was already close to what it was most summer days in the UK. She could live with that.

  ‘I’ll take it. Where do I sign?’ she said, as Noah and Kyle laughed.

  ‘Let’s at least look upstairs first,’ said Kyle. ‘Maybe that’s where the rats are hiding.’

  Practically skipping up the stairs, she first went into the master bedroom, which was directly above the lounge. She could imagine piling up a ton of cushions on the fitted bench seat that ran the length of the bay sash windows along the curved wall of the room, and a bed facing the windows that let in the natural light.

  A second, smaller bedroom was across the hall with the newly fitted family bathroom sandwiched between.

  She’d thought she loved her Liberty Park apartment. She realised now it was just lust. This was real love.

  ‘Noah. I’m scared. I want this place. I have to have it. Who do I have to bribe?’ She smiled wide, the gesture masking the very real fear she felt at the thought of this place slipping through her fingers.

  Noah returned the smile. ‘Abbie, if you want it, it’s yours. The owners are friends of mine, and they’ve met Kyle a couple of times. I’ve told them what you’re doing and how quickly you can move in, and Kyle already told me he can get you a reference from work, so they’re good to sign if you are.’

  She looked at Kyle. ‘This is too good to be true. I’m taking it.’

  ‘Let’s get it done then, England. Noah, can you draw up the lease?’

  ‘Of course, man. And look, stay as long as you need to measure up. I know you need to move in within a couple of weeks. Just drop the keys back at the office tomorrow.’

  As Noah left, Abbie went to go down the stairs.

  ‘Wait.’ Kyle gestured to her. ‘You haven’t seen the best bit.’

  A glass door off the upstairs hallway led to the balcony she had seen from the pavement but had forgotten all about in her excitement at everything else. Stepping out onto the balcony, she looked up and saw the Wasatch Mountains in all their glory.

  ‘I still have this view,’ she whispered, hardly believing.

  ‘I know how much you love it, and you’re only a few blocks from the park so you can still go running into people whenever you want.’

  She squealed and, without thinking, threw her arms around Kyle’s neck. ‘I thought you said Kitty had put me in the wrong part of town?’

  He chuckled as he put his arms around her to hug her back, before releasing her. ‘I was just winding her up. It’s too easy. You were kind of too far south, though. Where you are now, you’re also only a few blocks from Central so you can walk to the bars and restaurants. It’s a good place to be.’

  She couldn’t believe he’d managed to swing this for her. Within a day and a half, he’d turned it all around. That was a hell of an effort.

  ‘Enough daydreaming then, England. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Get out your notebook and a pen, we’re going measuring,’ He pulled out a tape measure from his pocket and ushered her back inside.

  Over the next hour they went room by room, making a list of furniture she needed and the space she had.

  Ending up in the lounge, she finished writing the final measurements down then lay down on the carpet. Unable to suppress her happiness, she squealed while making angel movements with her arms on the newly laid soft grey carpet. The lilac maxi dress she was wearing, a new spring purchase in her bid to keep bolstering her wardrobe with colour, complemented the flooring. She thought it must be a sign this was the place if she matched the fixtures and fittings.

  She turned her head to look at Kyle. He was sitting with his back leaning against the bay wall, legs stretched out in front of him.

  ‘Happy?’ he asked, returning the tape measure to his jeans pocket.

  ‘More than you could imagine.’ She sighed with contentment.

  The atmosphere charged as they looked at each other and Abbie met his gaze for slightly longer than she had the last time. Suddenly feeling spontaneous, she sat up. ‘Do you feel
like grabbing something to eat before it’s too late?’

  ‘I never say no to food,’ he answered, taking the keys out of his pockets. ‘Let’s go.’

  He led the way in his pickup and she followed in convoy in her company sedan. They parked in a quiet street about ten minutes from Abbie’s new house of dreams.

  She followed him into a cosy Italian trattoria, where he greeted the waiter by name. There were only about fifteen tables in the small room, which had exposed brick walls and a beamed ceiling. Running along the top of each wall was a black wrought-iron shelf crammed with red wine. The tables were covered in red and white checked tablecloths, each with a candle in a Chianti bottle in a straw basket, years of dripped wax set solid down the dark green glass.

  A handful of tables were already taken. An elderly couple in one corner, bickering over a basket of bread. A couple with two teenagers and a younger boy in the centre, the teenagers glued to mobile phones and the boy colouring in a drawing while the couple chatted. And a group of three women in the corner, chatting ten to the dozen over steaming bowls of pasta and glasses of Prosecco.

  The waiter, Rafaele, led them to a table next to the window and handed them both menus.

  ‘Allora, welcome to San Giovanni. Tonight, we have the special of lobster ravioli or a Fiorentina steak, cooked in rosemary and served with roasted potatoes and roasted vine tomatoes. Can I start you with some wine?’

  Kyle and Abbie both asked for a glass of red wine and Rafaele briskly walked off with their order.

  ‘This place is so nice, Kyle.’

  ‘Wait until you try the food,’ he said excitedly. ‘This is the place I told you with the meatballs from heaven.’

  ‘I swear I’ll be double the size I was when I arrived by the time my contract is up. All I seem to do is eat,’ she said as she absentmindedly picked a chunk of bread out of the basket and started nibbling at it.

  Kyle swiped the bread basket from under her. ‘There’s nothing wrong with a good appetite, but please do share.’ He winked.

  An hour later, their bellies full of pasta, red wine, and, indeed the best meatballs in the world, Abbie realised she’d had more fun since she left work today than the last time she could remember. They’d laughed a lot over dinner, and he’d teased her relentlessly over her near miss on the snowboard at Park City. They’d talked about where they both went to school. And he had checked that she’d been okay while he was away and that Kitty hadn’t been giving her a hard time.

  ‘She’s been really nice to me. What is it with you two?’ she asked. ‘You’re like brother and sister or something, constantly sniping at each other and winding each other up.’

  ‘I’ve known Kitty a long time. We went to high school together. There’s nothing in it really. I guess you could say it was kind of a brother–sister thing. She’s just easy to wind up, as you put it.’ He shrugged, taking another sip from his wine glass.

  It was the least enthusiastic he’d sounded about anything since she met him. She knew Kitty was a bit of an acquired taste, so she figured maybe she just wasn’t his cup of tea, but if they’d known each other for over fifteen years, it kind of made sense. She changed the subject. She felt bad talking about Kitty when she’d been so helpful.

  ‘Where do you think I should go to look for furniture? Since you’re smashing recommendations out of the park right now.’

  ‘Don’t you worry about that. Are you free Thursday after work?’

  She nodded yes.

  ‘Perfect,’ he said excitedly. ‘I know this hidden gem where I’m sure you’ll find some of what you need for the house’

  ‘Sounds great. Thank you, seriously.’

  As she went to stand up after they’d paid the bill, he stopped her. ‘The game this week is Friday. I was wondering if that meant you had a free weekend?’

  He said it so earnestly and, for the second time, she saw a chink in the confident armour.

  ‘I’m free,’ she said, gently.

  ‘Would you be up for a road trip on Saturday? I want to show you more amazing places, and it’s the perfect time of year to see this one spot. There’s a little catch, but I need you to agree first.’ He smiled at her.

  She quickly agreed to go. ‘Even though you keep trying to kill me with all your crazy activities, something fun on Saturday would be great to take my mind off the house stuff, especially now you’ve lifted a massive weight off my shoulders finding that incredible place. But what’s the catch?’

  ‘I’ll tell you on Friday. You’ll need to wear sneakers and hiking clothes, and bring sunscreen and a baseball cap. But I’m not sending you flying down any slopes this time, don’t worry.’ He stood up and Abbie did the same.

  ‘Okay, mysterious one. In the meantime, let’s go test out sofas on Thursday,’ she said as they walked out of the door and towards their cars, which were parked next to each other.

  She pulled her keys from her bag and thanked him again, moving towards Kyle to give him a hug. She had done it without even thinking and, feeling embarrassed, withdrew before saying goodbye and quickly opened the car door.

  Kyle didn’t take his eyes off her as she put on her seat belt, and he stood next to his truck while she drove out of the parking lot, waving when he noticed her looking in her rear-view mirror.

  Walking through the door of her apartment she looked around, thinking what a good start to life in Salt Lake City it had offered her, but that she couldn’t be happier to be moving into her beautiful new place. It had been a good move to let Kyle help her. She knew she was pushing things by spending so much time with him, but she was enjoying his company and she felt more alive than she had in years with their easy conversation. And she hadn’t crossed any lines.

  The following night, after doing a mass order on the IKEA website for kitchenware, bathroom odds and sods, pillows, towels, linen and a hell of a lot of coat hangers, Abbie closed her laptop and crossed a few more items off the ‘moving to a new house’ to-do list. Once she was moved in and a bit sorted, she’d work out anything extra she needed. But she’d made a major dent in organising the essentials and, with any luck, she’d find some furniture the next day at Kyle’s secret shop.

  As promised, Noah had sent through the lease for the house earlier that day and, apparently, Kyle had sorted all the paperwork she needed from the club. So, a mere forty-eight hours after having pretty much a complete breakdown, she was signed and sealed on the Craftsman house with the mountain view. What a difference a day could make.

  She turned the oven on, got a pizza out of the fridge and started throwing together a side salad while the grill warmed up.

  As she was adding sliced yellow bell peppers into the bowl, the doorbell rang, and she hurried to let Rose in. She was coming over so they could do some more work on the blog.

  Her friend entered, clutching a bottle of Four Roses bourbon in her hand.

  ‘That’s pretty heavy for a Wednesday.’ Abbie laughed, taking it from her and putting it on the counter by the side salad.

  ‘Well, Abbie. This seems like an appropriate time to tell you the old adage: no good story ever started with someone eating a salad.’

  Looking at the bowl of leaves, tomato, cucumber and pepper, Abbie conceded, ‘You’re right.’ She got two tumblers from the cupboard and passed them to Rose to do the honours.

  ‘Besides, we’re celebrating,’ Rose said, her tone not altering as she poured the amber liquid into the glasses. ‘I’ve had a call from Dexter McFarlane.’ She handed one of the glasses to Abbie, who looked at her questioningly. She had no idea who Dexter McFarlane was.

  ‘He’s an entrepreneur in town. He owns three bars that play live music, and we’ve been listing who’s playing at his venues. He’s apparently heard interest in our blog and he wants to offer us a deal. We’d get ten per cent commission on any tickets that he sells that link through from our site to his.’ She lifted up her glass to clink Abbie’s.

  ‘What? We could make money out of this thing?’ Ab
bie was surprised, and Rose had to prompt her to bring her glass to meet her own before taking a sip.

  ‘Yes. And think, if this guy is offering already, we can go to all the other venues we’re listing when we’ve got some good visitor numbers and try to get deals out of them too. It seems like we’re getting some traction already. And apparently that idiot at the paper is pretty mad that he’s losing invitations to gigs because people are reading our site instead and treating it seriously.’

  Abbie felt a thrill as she pulled the pizza out of the oven and started slicing, then handed a piece to Rose as she let the news sink in. ‘We really might be onto something here, right?’ she mused, taking a bite out of her own slice of pepperoni.

  ‘Abso-freaking-lutely. And it’s happening so fast. Who knew we had our best ideas when we were drunk, hey?’ She made her point by taking another swig from her glass.

  The rest of the evening passed by with them planning what they’d do over the next month for the blog, updating the listings, replying to invitations to gigs, and posting their latest review of an indie band they saw the week before.

  Wrapping up, they refilled their glasses for a nightcap and moved to the sofa.

  ‘What’s cooking for the rest of your week?’ Rose asked.

  ‘Going furniture shopping with Kyle. No big deal.’ Abbie mimed filing her nails.

  Rose raised her eyebrows. ‘That escalated fast.’

  Laughing, Abbie explained what had happened the past few days with the new house and how Kyle had swooped in to save the homeless, helpless maiden in distress.

  ‘Would you guys just get it on already. All this non-touching foreplay is getting boring. You’re going to try out beds with this dude and you’ve never even kissed him. Are we in a Jane Austen novel?’

  Abbie covered her face with her hands, shaking her head. ‘I still don’t know if this is a good idea. I fancy him, no point me trying to deny it. But on paper, it’s got disaster written all over it. He’s also taking me out for the day on Saturday. Some surprise place he won’t tell me about until we arrive.’